<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Ancient Spellcaster. Tome 1 by Kiwi_Du</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373250">Ancient Spellcaster. Tome 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwi_Du/pseuds/Kiwi_Du'>Kiwi_Du</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ancient Spellcaster [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Archmage - Fandom, 더 게이머 | The Gamer (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ancient Sumer, Fantasy, Gen, Magic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:48:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,320</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwi_Du/pseuds/Kiwi_Du</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reborn in Ancient Sumer. With the system, but not very lucky.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ancient Spellcaster [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            A translation of

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/680710">Античный чароплёт. Том 1</a> by Аллесий.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Glorious and great is the beautiful Babylon, which stands near the banks of the Arachtu, which carries the waters of the Euphrates!</p><p>Unfortunately, the glory and grandeur of the city does not extend to all its inhabitants. Not at all. In a small, not too rich, but far from poor house, which even has a small courtyard, a dialogue was conducted, which did not mean anything good for the owners…</p><p>"And you, Enkil, thought you could get out of it again without loss? Let me ask you, worm, what were you even thinking when you borrowed from me? The mage!" the man with the wand hanging from his belt looked at his opponent with disdain. The latter, called Enkil, turned pale and red. The crook went too far and tried to deceive someone who should not have been deceived. Yes, just an Apprentice, but don't underestimate him!</p><p>"Lord, I... I ask for a delay…"</p><p>"New? So you can try to trick me again? Pfft... I shouldn't have believed a single wormy word that your filthy mouth spat out so profusely! And it was certainly not worth doing the thankless work of a pawnbroker… And this is who... " pass your hand, and from around the corner flies the body of a boy, hovering in the air.</p><p>"Filthy brat! To eavesdrop want…"</p><p>"Shut up" the mage looked at Enkil with an icy stare. "This is who?"</p><p>"The slave warmed the stuff…" If they weren't in the house, the man would have spat.</p><p>"So this is your son? From a slave? You don't have to answer, it's a rhetorical question..." the mage doubtfully thought that this nonentity hardly knows what this phrase means. "Hm ... Hm ... how interesting. You know what, Enkil… Sell me your son."</p><p>"What? Sir, spare me! My son, he's .. Ah" the man suddenly calmed down. Even sharply somehow "You mean this geek?" even a mage is a little amazed at out, not to mention a child. For a moment, contempt flickered in his eyes. The boy had long since sunk to the ground and listened to the conversation in silence. "Are you willing to forgive me for this debt?"</p><p>"Well, not all the debt... Give me another nine silver sickles... No, eleven. And that's it."</p><p>"Right away!" Enkil ran deeper into the house. The child, who, by the way, looked about five years old, did not utter a sound. A minute later, the happy father returned with a string that had small silver rings on it. Not eleven-twelve.</p><p>"There's redundant" the mage reached out to remove the silvery thing…</p><p>"For good measure, Mr. mage!" Enkil smiled ingratiatingly. The mage stared at him for a moment, then chuckled.</p><p>"Well. Hey you" cool glance at the child. "Follow me!"</p>
<hr/><p>Not to say that the clothes the mage bought were so good, but they were certainly better than the rags I had worn in my 'father's' house. And the market flatbread I'd picked up from the ground was far more satisfying than the standard meal I usually ate. Food was also thrown like a dog… But most often on the floor, and here-there was a chance to catch. And for lunch, most often got about a quarter of this kind of flatbread, and a little water. Pfft…</p><p>"Lord?" I try to address the magician carefully. The fate of a slave is not the worst in Sumer. Many free people are willing to become slaves voluntarily… But not me. However, now you don't have to choose. Nothing, I'll bear it…</p><p>"What do you want?" the mage frowned at me.</p><p>"How do I address you?"</p><p>"Ghazi. For you, Mr. Ghazi."</p><p>"Are you a kassit?" the next second, a sharp slap shook me face.</p><p>"You're too impudent" the man said calmly, then walked on. Soon a heavy basket with herbs and other purchases of the mage fell into my hands. Including products. Not that it's too heavy, but I was a skinny five-year-old kid. It's a bit heavy for me, to put it mildly.</p><p>Hot scorching sun, heavy load, a couple of hours of running… What could be more tedious? Maybe three hours of running around like this… Or four… In any case, when we arrived at a very beautiful rich house, I just fell on the grass under the nearest tree, just hearing: 'Free… While'. The blissful shade of the palm branches and the bliss of idleness covered my head, and the sun gradually coming out of the zenith only made me happy as never before.</p><p>"Hey you! Get up!" I was kicked.</p><p>"Fuck you" I answer lazily and yawn. There are those with whom I can behave and so. The other slave. Like this: in a cheap canvas shirt and short pants, it is unlikely that a free schumer will walk. But you should not be openly rude yet: it's bigger, stronger… I'm just a slave, too. However, I was probably valuable enough to get me thirteen silver sickles, which was owed by um... 'my father'. While we were quarreling with the slave, who apparently knew that I belonged to a owner of the house, and therefore did not dare to beat or maim me, the 'Owner' also returned. With accompaniment.</p><p>"Kazmir?! Oh, you filthy dog!" hissed the graying man, who was no longer an old man, but no longer a young man. Okay, I'll name his old man. "What are you doing here, you lazy bum? What did I tell you?!"</p><p>"I... lord, I wa ..." a savory blow on the crown of his head cut off his speech. I was no longer lying down, but standing close by, a little away, so as not to get caught under the hot hand.</p><p>"Everything! Get out of here! And to get it all out, or I will personally put you in this filthy hole and wait for you to drown in it with shit!" I understood that the man was assigned to clean out the cesspool. And he probably wanted to put me on the case… Well done, oldman! That's right, you used wand! Oh, I could have-added more!</p><p>"You" Ghazi frowned at me. "Come here" I obeyed. "Here, teacher. What do you say?"</p><p>"Um" the mage was literally sniffing me. Bypassed. I didn't move. This one was probably Master, not an Apprentice. "A good purchase" the man concluded. "Very good. In the future... Ha, if he work hard, then even Eligor himself will not disdain he: he will take his to himself! He will work hard, won't he?" he raised his eyebrows.</p><p>"He'll work hard" Ghazi promised with a grin. "But I wonder why this son of a slave has such a talent?"</p><p>"It is not for us mortals to confess the ways of the Gods" the old man snorted. "We just need to avoid them on the road and have time to collect saliva from spits and falling drops of sweat" I internally chuckled at this strange analogy.</p><p>As for talent, I think I know what they're talking about. And what kind of talent would a pair of mages determine in this way? And here's where it's from... Ha, I know that too:</p><p>
  <strong>Name: Tiglath</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Level: 6</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Power: 4</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Dexterity: 6</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Vitality: 7</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Intelligence: 12</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Prana: 85/85</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Mana: 70/70</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p><strong>Available</strong> <strong> points: 0</strong></p><p>There was a lot of it, but most of it was highlighted in transparent gray, and this part was stable and, most importantly, worked.</p><p>"What's your name, pup?" the older one snorted.</p><p>"Tiglath, sir."</p><p>"Tiglath?!" I got a slap in the face. I fell to the ground. "Your slave mother had the greatest audacity to call her carrion by the name of the great Tigris river!"</p><p>"Teacher, this is my slave after all..." I was about to get up, but a kick in my chest sent me back to the ground. "I'd rather" Ghazi snorted as he kicked me. "From now on, you're a Pif. Remember?" I nodded, on my hands and knees, trying to breathe.</p><p>
  <strong>Name: Tiglath (Pif)</strong>
</p><p>Not to say that this attitude was blatant cruelty. Local customs… Besides, I'm already used to this kind of thing in my 'home'. But ... getting used to it doesn't mean accepted it.</p><p>The sand on his teeth creaked violently. Fortunately, a couple of mages didn't notice.</p><p>"Get up!" I obeyed. "So, Pif" he savored the name on his lips "do you know why I didn't take my silver from your crooked father because I thought you were more valuable?"</p><p>"I dare say, Lord, my talent for magic" I say calmly.</p><p>"Um, and he sturdy" The old man even looked at me approvingly. "Not whine..." the next second, another blow from the wand hit me in the head. I got up calmly, though my head was buzzing. Something sticky was trickling down his cheek from the tangle of hair. "Ha ... Okay… Remember, puppy, exactly how you behave now, you need to behave in the future" whispering something under his breath, he made an intricate pass with a brush. I felt the coolness and crystal-clear clarity of thought. The blood stopped flowing and the body stopped hurting. Wonderful feeling.</p><p>"You're right" Ghazi continued matter of-factly. "But I wonder how you know about your talent." I put my hands together in silence, my palms barely touching. The old man started to say something and probably hit me again, but then stopped, realizing that I was trying to answer the question. A spark passed between my fingers, another, a whole bunch of sparks... another bunch... "Enough. You can't do anything else?" he asked, interested.</p><p>"No, sir" I said quietly.</p><p>"Well. After me… Wait though" He held out his hand, and a water ball suddenly flew off, appearing there in a split second. It hit me right in the head, throwing it back a little. When I realized what was required of me, I quickly worked with my hands, cleaning off the remaining blood on my head after healing. "Now go."</p><p>I remember once, in a past life, I read a series books of "Archmage". The character of the protagonist amused me then. The Kreol was violent, often vicious… Now I know exactly where this is coming from. It is difficult for others to grow up in this Sumerian sewer. And the Magister, who was a Kreol teacher, seems to have been a scum. Well, it wasn't just that his own disciple, after finishing his training, had rushed to finish off the venerable mage as soon as possible...</p><p>Regarding further events that happened to me… They put him in the corner of the chariot where Ghazi was sprawled. Me took me far, far away. More precisely, to the city of Ered, which is South of the Euphrates, near Ur.</p><p>It wasn't close: three days. During this time, Ghazi has already deigned to explain what I, in general, have long understood:</p><p>"I'll take you as an apprentice, Pif. Unofficially. You are a slave and you will remain a slave, but you may be able to redeem yourself one day if you study hard. And if you don't" he grinned unkindly. "And if you don't, it will be much cheaper than keeping your gluttonous throat, and it will be much easier for me to feed you to some demon" he finished. "Do you understand me well, slave?"</p><p>"Yes, Mr. Ghazi" I said, trying to unhitch the onager from the chariot. It's not an easy job, especially if you're five years old. The fucking animal twitched lazily, causing me to fall to the ground, causing the new teacher to giggle.</p><p>"Ha ... Finished? Come over here. You probably can't read... " he snorted.</p><p>"I can ,sir"Ghazi ignored me at first, then stared at me like a RAM at a new gate.</p><p>"Can you? Read!" he opened a book that had been pulled out from somewhere and was open to a random page.</p><p>
  <em>O most pure Virgin Ishtar,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The one that gives purity to the soul and body,</em>
</p><p><em>The one </em> <em>whose gaze incinerates diseases,</em></p><p>
  <em>The one whose breath expels ailments…</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Added a spell: Purification of the Goddess Inanna. Requirements: magic words level 5, intelligence: 12, mana: 100 (can be more, depending on the disease)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Experience: +4</strong>
</p><p>"However… Tell me, how did the unloved son of a slave learn to read?" he squinted.</p><p>"On my own" I reply laconically.</p><p>"You're not lying..." the man frowned at me for half a minute, then said contentedly "this will make it even easier to train you."</p><p>
  <strong>Added task: the Secret of the two Masters</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Find out why your new teacher really needs you. Find your freedom.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Reward: life, 4 levels, 5 gold sickles.</strong>
</p><p>Given the fact that my entire life was offered as a reward, the system was generous. Very generous.</p><p>"Okey" Ghazi decided something. "For a start, Pif, you will learn concentration" the 'teacher' thought for a moment. "A what? A fun idea…" A small bowl filled with water, dripping directly from the good mentor's hand. "Sit on your knees, hands in the same place. Yes, that's it. Keep your back straight and your head straight! Close your eyes!" he placed the bowl carefully on my head. It was hard to hold her. Although the bottom was flat, it still had bumps and pressure… The sand in my hair bit painfully into my skin under the weight of the liquid and clay. "I forbid you to help yourself with your hands. Otherwise, do whatever you want. Ha ... just keep in mind that I heated the water to boiling water." I realized that if I dropped the bowl, I would pour almost a liter of the fiery liquid over myself. I almost flinched at the thought, but I remained calm.</p><p>After a couple of minutes there is something on my back. I wasn't paying attention. Beads of sweat trickled down her body... Then a fly landed on face. I tried to push it away with my hand, but I jerked my shoulder. The bowl began to collapse... In a futile attempt to hold her back, I jerked my head, making things worse. Not wanting to cook in boiling water, I grab the clay bowl with my hands…</p><p>"Argh... Ahhh!" the first cry was caused by a sharp sound and severe pain from… Probably from a lightning strike. My second cry was from the boiling water that poured over my body.</p><p>At that moment, no amount of reasoning or self-control could help me. If I had been able to move, I would have thrown myself at Ghazi in an attempt to finish him off. Fortunately, I was in so much pain at the time that I couldn't move, let alone jump on someone.</p><p>"Get up!" kick. "Get up! Why are you lying down?!" I didn't get up. "Aah..." a quiet whisper. The pain began to go away, a pleasant coolness passed through the body… Another kick. In the stomach. Wiping away her tears (they came out from the sand that got into her eyes. Yes, it is from him), I rise. "Again" Ghazi grinned.</p><p>His method of training was extremely effective. By the evening of the next day, I calmly held the fucking bowl for up to half an hour. Here it is worth noting that we were moving, so he could only 'teach' me at halts and before going to bed.</p><p>Moreover, if the bowl started to fall, I learned not to grab it with my hands. Yes, it was painful. Incredibly painful! But it doesn't hurt more than a lightning strike, even if it's weak. After all, after the lightning, boiling water was still spilled. By the way, there was another plus: although Ghazi said that he would heat the water, but it still managed to cool down slightly over a long time, so the longer I held it, the easier it was to endure new... ablutions.</p><p>In the afternoon of the third day, we finally reached Ered. Soon the chariot was entering Ghazi's house. Big house, I should say. Very large and rich. There were perhaps a dozen or so slaves. The courtyard, again, is decent, a couple of trees…</p><p>"Owner" a middle-aged but not yet old slave came running. Black. «From Kush? It seems similar. Kushites are black… Or not? Ghazi seems to be at least half a Kushite, too. Ugh! He's a Kassit, not a Kushite. Kushites from the South, Kassites from the North…»</p><p>"Take care of the onagers, prepare the bath, feed this boy… He's my new slave. And my new student." Kassit gave me a strange look "And Yes… From now on, I'm the Master."</p><p>"I'll do it exactly, Owner."</p><p>I thought so. New student… New… There was at least one more. What happened to him? The 'teacher', apparently, became a Master in Babylon. Before that, he was an Apprentice. Even for a long time. Even if he had become a skilled apprentice, even if… Who would send a child to be apprenticed? Although ... there Are enough people: not everyone has money for Masters, especially for Magisters and Archmages. Or… Or Ghazi could have had a student like me! By the way, apparently, because of the title of Master, the task is called the riddle of TWO Masters. Understand nothing. No, maybe he wants to feed me to the demon, but it doesn't really matter if I'm a slave or not, does it? A couple of dozen silver sickles can buy a lot more slaves. Even if he trains me, I doubt very much that the money he will spend on me during the training, it will not be possible to buy a few people, not to mention the debt of the father. And a couple dozen mortal souls should also be better than the soul of a weak mage, even if there is a difference? Or not? I do not understand…</p><p>The dinner was simple. Flatbread, water… They gave me some milk. I think it's pretty good, especially considering my position. Although… I'm not only a slave, I'm also a disciple of their owner, so everything is normal.</p><p>"The Owner told you to read it until evening. And remember. Feeding in five hours. Get out of here" another slave said clearly and laconically, holding out a book. Thick enough. However, the pages here are also thicker than paper. "The Owner said if you mess up, he'll feed you to the demon."</p><p>Ah, cuneiform! How I hate you! But they don't know any other languages here. Except that the Egyptians are very developed. And a couple of other kingdoms. It seems ... there are no schools here, alas: we have to be content with rumors.</p>
<hr/><p>Sumerian Guild of Mages-the Guild Sixty Knowledge. Sixty different magical directions. From combat magic and demonology with necromancy to of loving and floristry. Usually the student wield (very shitty) two or three directions. Simply put, during training, mages focused on two or three schools, much less often there were unique ones with one direction, but such Apprentices in their specialty could argue with the Masters.</p><p>Accordingly, Master Ghazi didn't have much to <em>teach</em> me. Oh! He could teach a lot, but train he could only teach in the areas that he knew. Perhaps the Archmages and perhaps the Masters know the theory of the basics of all sixty lore, but... But Ghazi has only just received the title of Master.</p><p>However, "only just" is almost a year and a half ago. That's how long I've lived in his house. And that's how much I learn from him. To say that he is a tough, even cruel person is to say nothing. He can think clearly, speak politely and calmly… And then with a nice smile, he can give out a task like that with boiling water. Or just punch in the face/stomach. And his teacher is no better. To be honest, my hatred for these two has grown a lot and has frozen at a certain point, maintained constantly and incessantly.</p><p>I was a slave anyway, so I either studied or worked. However, I studied much more. Ghazi adhere to strange rules of practice replaces the theory. No such thing, as for me, but I was given a minimum of theoretical knowledge. Just as long as it takes to use the practical part of magic. This minimum was not enough for almost anything. It's like trying to memorize a multiplication table and not even explaining that five times six is six times five. And to add up before this, too, to teach just enough to be counted in a column.</p><p>But this approach was offset by two other factors. First, no matter what you say, a non — knowledgeable practitioner is probably better than an all-knowing theorist. Probably no one else in all of Sumer has achieved the same practical results as I have. And I, meanwhile, managed a half years to master the simple telekinesis and hydromantia. And materialization. Yes, it's all on a ridiculous level, like folding a matchbox out of sawdust or conjuring a couple of bowls of water, but many students have not mastered the simplest spells in three years!</p><p>The second factor is self-learning. Ghazi sometimes gave me a book with it if I needed to explain theoretical material for more than fifteen minutes. Sometimes even their magic with the order not to dare to say a single spell and do not try anything. Yes, many pages I just couldn't open, some sections of books, to be precise… Only the dear 'teacher' didn't know about the system. And that one successful execution, or even a clear thoughtful reading of the spell, even to myself, was enough for me to remember it and capture it. Like many magical texts. The system had the function of a virtual magic book, which over the past year and a half included as much as, perhaps, would have been enough for a folio of another Apprentice.</p><p>Telekinesis and hydromantia is not what I would like to study. If I had my way, I would choose telepathy, combat magic, and healing… Or not healing, and artifactory. Something like that. But I didn't choose. Chose Ghazi. Recently, I have a feeling that he just needs a magically developed dummy with a good reserve of strength and good skills in narrow energy-consuming areas. Ideal tool. I wonder where he expects such a 'student' to be used?</p><p>During my training, I raised my level by four points. Got some skills. But, most importantly, what Ghazi did not know-electrokinesis. It wasn't that I threw lightning bolts, but I sometimes stealthily created a permanent electric branch between my fingers, which I tried to maintain. It even worked. Briefly. I never had enough mana: my teacher didn't allow me to accumulate it. Except in the morning after sleeping and those beautiful, blessed Sumerian nights...</p><p>"You want something, Pif?"</p><p>"A flatbread with honey and a couple of dates would be nice" I said, glancing at the counter.</p><p>"Give" Ghazi said to the merchant, handing him a few copper sickles. He quickly held out the goods, looking at the slave in surprise, who is allowed to do this. Well yes… This is my carrot. For now, I'm 'trying' as these two once said.</p><p>We were in Babylon. Again. Ghazi went to see his teacher. At the same time, I took a walk around the market. He needed some herbs again. Along the way, he explained to me the essence of the new exercises:</p><p>"When you've used up all your mana, you'll do magic without it."</p><p>"At the expense of prana, teacher?" 'I was surprised.'</p><p>"And at her expense, too, but only under supervision."</p><p>"I don't understand."</p><p>"You will try to move the object with your mind without the help of mana. It's like you're doing what you normally do, but you're not putting any energy into it. Or conjure water. Or manage the water. This is necessary to feel the movement of the ether and astral. To open a magical sight. Um ... I'll Ask the teacher for the book. He had one" Ghazi snorted, apparently tired of explaining.</p><p>Meanwhile, the market became much more noisy: people began to make way for the chariot with the Imperial messenger. Weird. I don't remember much about Babylon, but messengers travel on other roads, don't they?</p><p>"In addition, the teacher will teach you how to meditate and collect free mana. I'm tired of you running out of steam so fast" Ghazi said. I shuddered slightly as I imagined this training…</p>
<hr/><p>"Filthy brat of a dog and a Jackal! Not so, not so!" the old man yelled, almost genuinely indignant and upset at my failures. However, I was also upset when a bronze wand flew at me. "Again! Focus! Mentally immerse in the water bowl, merge with it! You're water now. You are poured into a clay bowl, feel all the irregularities of the bottom? The hot midday sun shines through you, yourself you do not leak, what can be more pleasant and calmer than warm water…"</p><p>To be honest, I myself would have been exhausted by this speech long ago, if not for the life-giving head of the wand in the old man's hands. And he kept talking and talking… I wasn't listening anymore, but I was a warm puddle in the hot sun…</p><p>"Come back!" sharply and clearly said in my ear, adding a wand on the forehead. It bled. "Pfft... squishy," the new teacher said, pouring the water over my head. It was warm. Then he remembered that he couldn't conjure a new one: there would be no mana in it. When he got mad, he threw a bowl at me and sent me to the well.</p><p><strong>Mana </strong> <strong>absorption</strong> <strong>: 1</strong></p><p>
  <strong>Meditation: 4</strong>
</p><p>Just for this case, I had a couple of free points of characteristics from the new levels. He knew where to throw it. Meditation didn't just increase the level. Not bad.</p><p>
  <strong>Mana absorption: 3</strong>
</p><p>"Ah, you should go to Magister Halai, you lousy donkey shit… I'm too kind for you, brat... " the old man croaked, groaning dramatically. "You did something this time. Repeat…"</p><p>I spent the rest of the evening practicing mana gathering. It was crooked. In a minute, I was able to collect well over five units. It was small,negligible. But now Ghazi and my friend were able to turn my life into an endless training session. Getting up in the morning, feeding, training magic skills, trying to open magic vision, long, long mana collection, training magic sight again, collecting mana again. I didn't manage to maintain this pace for a long time: after a week, I just passed out.</p><p>To reduce the load, Ghazi still agreed. Not at my request, but at the request of his teacher, which is surprising, because I thought that the more sadistic of the two is still an old man. Now I was working in the kitchen as an extra break. Bring it, serve it, slice it, crush it… Not to say that it's easy, but the load on the brain is still reduced. That was enough.</p>
<hr/><p>"Hey, you ungrateful thing, go get some wine" Ghazi snorted. Run, what should I do?</p><p>We lived in Babylon for almost six months. And it was in this city that I was lucky: I managed to get my hands on teacher Ghazi's magic book. Just a couple of times, but... but now the information in my own virtual book is definitely enough for an Apprentice. Many things were similar, but there were also differences. Ghazi is an elementalist and potion maker. It is the latter specialization that allows him to earn enough to pay off the ilkum, a tax for mage, from time to time. If you're a mage, then either work for the Empire, pay for it, or go to hell. Everything is strict here. But Ghazi brewed potions to pay for this tax, and also managed to sell his potions, due to which from time to time he managed to pay off the tax.</p><p>Ghazi's teacher was also a potion maker. And a blood mage and Demonologist. Not the best: the best demonology Sumer is Halai Ji Besh and Archmage Alkealol Ursky. But nevertheless, this venerable master used the services of demons. Well, in addition, they both possessed a certain set of magic words.</p><p>Actually, as for potions, when I got home, Ghazi began to plow me to this as well. First-to prepare the ingredients, then-to search. Sometimes he sent me for a week with a few slaves. Ghazi wasn't afraid of me running away. His teacher is a blood mage. They have my blood… And not just blood. Hair, skin… Not to mention the demons who are quite capable of tracking a fugitive. They know I know. I knew they knew. In general, everything was clear enough. Besides ... well, run. And then what? Where to go, then? I quickly caught by some slave traders. Modest magical abilities will also only attract attention, nothing more. And this problem is solved simply. Cold iron may be expensive, but I don't need much: a couple of rings, a collar or a bracelet. And everything. No way. I'm not ready yet. My telekinesis will barely kill a pigeon, and lightning will only leave a good burn. That's if I can even touch my opponent's skin.</p><p>But that doesn't mean I was ready to be a slave. I wanted freedom. Very much wanted. The system allowed me to grow faster than a normal person. And I hid part of my height. Ghazi thought that I was just starting to look at auras with uncertainty, and I, meanwhile, have been seeing them confidently for a month and a half. In ordinary people, I can even distinguish between truth and falsehood in words. And Ghazi didn't know that I had mastered aerokinesis just a little. The principle is similar to what I already knew. And it was much easier to train with him: there are no distinctive sounds, the wind in a desert area does not surprise anyone, and to feel mana, and even understand that it is not from telekinesis, Ghazi needed a little less time to brew his favorite potions.</p><p>By the way, I have become more adept at ingredients, because more than half of them for Ghazi were now collected under my supervision, or even by myself. For this purpose, the teacher even lavished on several long lectures about properties, components, and so on. Usually I would get a gathering task, a training task, a cart, three slaves, and a few days worth of food before I left. However, the main thing in such campaigns was still another slave, but he tried not to command me, and I was allowed more than others. They didn't like me for that. But climb on the disciple of the terrible owner-mage? No way! This is not for us! On these trips, we sometimes caught some small animal, bird or fish. Then the slaves were able to enjoy the fact that they fall very rare: meat.</p><p>I might have liked it a little if it hadn't been for slavery. But my status weighed on me worse than a multi-ton mountain. I hated him. I wanted freedom.</p><p>"Hey, Kura" I said to the head of the new" expedition " to the forest, which was a couple of days away from Ghazi's house. "Tell me, did the owner have other students? Well, before me?"</p><p>"Oh, No, it wasn't" he snorted. I would never have understood, but I could tell by the aura that he was lying.</p><p>"Clearly. What happened to them?" Kura choked.</p><p>"Pif, I told you the owner didn't have anyone."</p><p>"Yes, I understand. So what happened to the owner's last disciple? Or students? Were there more than one? One? No, more than one. Where are they all, Kura?"</p><p>"He didn't have any students. And shut up already!" the slave barked.</p><p>"Well, it wasn't — it wasn't" I shrugged.</p><p>...</p><p>"Kura said you were interested in my past students, Pif?"</p><p>"Yes, it was, I nodded."</p><p>"There were two of them. And both are dead. Trained in including and demonology, made a mistake..." Master on second paused. "There were very bloody events in this house at the time. And the slaves are forbidden to talk about them. And you're not allowed to be interested. If I find out you're digging into the secrets of the past, I'll cut off a couple of fingers. Is that clear?"</p><p>"Yes, Mr. Ghazi" I said. Everything is logical, Yes. But this trend is depressing. But I don't do demonology, do I? Only the still hanging task about the secret of the two masters does not give me peace.</p>
<hr/><p>This was my eighth year of training. A lot has happened since then. Many things failed. It was hard to develop, very hard. What is it? Just look at my mana: only seven hundred and thirty units! Five years ago, by comparison, it was two hundred and ten. This is despite the fact that the same small healing spell that I mastered spends more than a hundred. Prana, however, has also grown and seriously: as many as four hundred and ten units. That's a lot. Probably twice as much as it should be. Where it came from is clear. Ghazi made her do magic at her expense when the mana ran out. Despite the fact that I belittled my success a little, and was not happy with them at all, Ghazi on the contrary began to treat me much better. Just like his teacher, who we visited several more times.</p><p>In general, the attitude towards me has changed a lot. I was still a slave in status, but in fact I was far above everyone else in the house. I had meat on my table often enough… But I would trade that for the freedom and bondage of the Imperial ilkum. I might have tried to escape, but I would have been easily caught by the same demons. So I haven't tried yet. It is better to keep the right opinion about yourself and the right image. What Ghazi didn't know was that I was a good student of theory. It would be strange if I didn't have access to books in the homes of as many as two Masters of magic and copied them all. Completely.</p><p>I have also been able to put my knowledge into practice. More than once the city lugal came to the teacher, and sometimes the city Ann. Ur is lucky: close to Ur in his Palace Shahshanor sits Archmage Kreol Ursky. This one will help, often for free. But Ered wasn't so lucky. But within the walls of this city lived the mage Ghazi, who also helped often. On ilkum's account, of course.</p><p>In general, I used to be present at the courts, in order to distinguish truth from lies, to accompany the city Enn… Even once to deal with a pack of ghouls. More precisely, the ghazis and guards were killed, but I also made my contribution. Mostly-continuously reading the very 'Purification of the Goddess Inanna', my first learned spell. It stung the ghouls, and the scabs of the guards carried the infection of the creatures ' fangs. I'm also pretty good at making some potions. The teacher was too lazy to make them himself for a city shop owned by a friend of his, so he pushed this responsibility to me. He only brewed quite complex and expensive ingredients, and even what went for rich clients, and I made all sorts of ointments, tinctures and such rubbish. Not only we did our best for that shop, but also the city magicians who worked for ilkum, who were also not satisfied with the salary allocated by the Imperial Treasury. All I can say is that five gold pieces a month for a consulting magician is two and a half times what good artisans get. And only three gold pieces less than the city lugal's salary. In fact, there were probably only lugal and Ann in the city, and maybe a couple of other people who received more money from the Emperor than the city's consulting wizard, so they shouldn't have complained. But they mastered potions at a shitty level, really. Where did you go for recipes and master classes? Right! To Ghazi!</p><p>The only thing I could learn from Ghazi's past students was that there were not two, but three. And one more thing. Ghazi himself was his teacher's fourth student. And the other three died. As well as the fifth, who studied after Ghazi. I had to pay for this knowledge with the little finger of my left foot. I didn't go into it again.</p><p>Remembering the same Archmage Kreol Ursky, his son, also a Kreole, will study under the grand Magister of demonology Halai Ji Besh. Now Kreole Junior is seven years old, his training has not yet begun. How did I know that? Oh, it's just that Ghazi decided to visit the venerable demonologist.</p><p>Halai lived in a large three-story house with a lot of slaves and female slaves. He had only one student: Hazrib, the son of a rich merchant who managed to send his grandson to study as much as a whole Magister. However, it seems that at that time halay was still a Master. Or not — I didn't have the exact information.</p><p>In fact, this very Hazrib I saw: he was eating some rubbish, working his jaws very fast, and listening to Halai rant about "a vile, senseless, stupid student who can only eat and spoil the air like donkey's urine..." Did I say something about Ghazi? Pfft… I just haven't seen Halay JI Besh. But his pupil is already a grown man of about twenty-five!</p><p>By the way, the Magister didn't even let me carry the first spoonful of barley soup to my mouth:</p><p>"Ah! is that him? Hey you! Miscarriage Pazuzu! Come here!" given the pebble that landed in my head (and where did it come from?), the words were clearly addressed to me. "You should have done it faster! Filthy puppy!" the heavy wand hit me on the head. However, he did not stop with his head, but also hit him in the stomach, forcing him to bend over. "Oh! At least you can bow! But lower, lower!" he said contentedly, striking again. My head rang and blood flowed.</p><p>"Enough, Magister. Pif, heal yourself."</p><p>I immediately whispered the necessary spell. It's not the first time I've read it in this state: I'm used to it.</p><p>"Hmm... Not bad" the vile old man even smiled a little. "Hey you! Come pick up the table!" he snapped at me. I focused. Given the weight of this table, it is unlikely that Halai meant to lift it with his hands. Slowly, the heavy piece of wood floated up. The mana began to drain wildly fast. As I carefully started to lower it, I heard: "I didn't say stop!"</p><p>"Mana" I say softly.</p><p>"When you start dying, you let go" was all Ghazi said. Mana's gone. I went to the prana. Beginning to feel dizzy, I lowered the table, barely able to stand.</p><p>"Excellent! Just perfect! You and Master Ian did a good job." Halai bared his teeth "How old are you, burp of a donkey?"</p><p>"Thirteen" I said.</p><p>"Thirteen ... Ha…"</p><p>"Pif, go outside and restore your mana" Ghazi ordered. I nodded silently as I completed my task.</p><p>It was evening, and the coolness of another beautiful Sumerian night was beginning to envelop the streets. Truly an incredible time. Perhaps Sumerian nights are what I love most in this life. Pfft… But I don't even have time for them, because I get too exhausted during the day to allow myself to stay up. Okay…</p><p>Sitting on the sand in a meditation position, I began to carefully absorb the mana spilled on the ground. To fill up my entire reserve, I'll have to sit here for about an hour. And all for the sake of keeping a stupid table in the air!</p><p>After a while, I was interrupted from my meditation. It turned out to be Halai.</p><p>"Hand, boy!" a curved knife cut my wrist, where blood spurted into the bowl the Demonologist held out. After filling it, he tossed my hand aside and walked away. Feeling dry in my mouth and weak in my body, I quietly began to recite the healing spell. I was dizzy and thirsty, but I fell back into meditation, filling my body with mana. It was late at night when I sneaked into the kitchen and managed to steal a tortilla. And drank water from the well. Slightly salty, but tolerable.</p><p>"I hate ..." I hissed, raising the water from the bottom to the top for a second. However, she quickly left. Only a strong gust of wind could tell everyone about my anger. The mana sank by half. Trying to meditate on the move, constantly interrupting and getting lost, I went to the house. They didn't show me the place, so I'd better spend the night right on the sand, since the sky is very beautiful here.</p><p>The teacher was always talking or arguing with Halai. I was just given a task. The damned demonologist flatly refused to leave me alone in his library, but he did give me a couple of books at Ghazi's request… Saying that he would burn me alive for any torn page. For each will burn, resurrect and burn again. Pfft... I didn't care. They told me to read a specific section, but I managed to copy everything to myself. My book were soon taken away from me.</p><p>Sitting under a window and meditating, I heard an interesting conversation:</p><p>"...Don't flatter me: Alkealol still a little better than me in demonology."</p><p>"Well, maybe just a little. By the way, what's the story with his grandson? Kreol, isn't it?"</p><p>"Aah… Nothing interesting. Bad boy did something, grandfather threw that donkey shit out of the house. I found out late, set the slavers off, but the bastard managed to get away from them. The vile son of a slave... the Archmage Alkealol already changed the temper justice with mercy. But it's a pity: such an interesting hostage would be."</p><p>"Magister, do Alkealol just threw grandson without any supervision?!"</p><p>"Pfft... Don't make me laugh! The slavers were torn apart, twisted, and chewed. Abgal must have sent a couple of demons to keep an eye on this burp Pazuzu… But such a chance, such a chance…"</p><p>In addition, even in the house of the demonologist, I was fed separately. The teacher kept making me drink some potions… The diet remained after returning to the 'native' estate. I would never have figured out what it was, but the caring system highlighted everything:</p><p>
  <strong>Excessive plasticity:</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Your magic has become too plastic, and your mana reserve is growing faster, but such changes can lead to diseases.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The acceleration of the prana:</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The speed of prana circulation in you has increased. Now you are not afraid of fatigue, you will always be cheerful and full of energy, but your physical body is slowly destroyed by these effects.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Weakening of the mental:</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Your astral and mental bodies have weakened your natural defenses…</strong>
</p><p>I didn't know why, but I could guess. Demons. I was wrong in my reasoning from the very beginning. One mage-Apprentice is worth a hundred ordinary mortals. For the demon. I was right about the gods. I was just approaching that limit. And everything else… This is to prepare me for 'use'. However, Purifying Inanna and some other spells helped a lot, removing or almost nullifying all these effects, but the potions were necessary to drink… It got to the point where I learned to induce vomiting by occasionally throwing up another piece of trash… But this was rarely possible. There were also antidotes and alchemical neutralizers, which I could brew and for which I learned to steal ingredients. Just a little, but I managed to make sure that all this stuff didn't affect me. Lately, I've been reminding myself of a goose being fed to give it cirrhosis for Fua-Gra. Abomination.</p><p>Still, it was impossible to go any further with the current. What did I have? Two Masters and, apparently, one Magister. All three participate. And this is the minimum. They want to summon a demon, feed me to it. I now match a weak apprentice in strength, of course-not in knowledge. Although I have a virtual magic book with the necessary information, but there is still so much to learn… Given the ongoing training, it is supposed to bring me to the level of an ordinary Apprentice, and then, stuffed to the eyeballs with potions and 'flavor additives', feed it to the demon. And the only other thing I know is that they want to do at least something that's not very legal, because one of the conversations I overheard was about secrecy and not letting anyone know.</p><p>Question, what can I do? Yes so… In fact, not much. My most developed skill is hydromantia. Potions and telekinesis are a little behind her. I have exactly eight hundred units of mana right now. Prana is four hundred and forty. There is some insignificant money and a spatial pocket given by the system: inventory. It fits a volume equal to my body. Not a little,but not a lot. According to Sumerian law, I am a slave, a thing. I'm not dressed like a slave, but still…</p><p>They'll definitely find me in Sumer. Assuredly. The same Bloodhound demons. To run further? Where to? To Kush? Or far North? In the same Pont, for example... Pfft... Yes! I will run... from the hellhounds on my own two feet across the Empire! Brilliant... No, it won't work. I can't escape. As long as Ghazi is alive, I'm sure… While Ghazi is alive… While Ghazi is alive… And if you fix it...?</p><p>"Teacher! Teacher!"</p><p>"Puppy, if you woke me up for nothing…"</p><p>"Lfitalic, he was black!"</p><p>"Why didn't you say so?"</p><p>Jumping up, only throwing on a tunic, the man went to the potion shop. It was a deep, though moonlit, night. The student hurried after him. He was also excited. He was very agitated, so he must have stumbled, slightly pushing and scratching Ghazi.</p><p>"You donkey bastard!" he slapped Pif in the face.</p><p>"I'm sorry, owner, I - I'm just worried!"</p><p>"Pfft... Burp Pazuzu..." the mage cursed. What infuriated him was not what had happened as such, but his Personal Defense. One of the three lying on it. An incredible spell that can reflect anything, but only once. Any threat. However, unfortunately, it does not distinguish between a needle and a sharp axe. "Argh ... Let's Go…"</p><p>As the mage opened the door and crossed the threshold of the potion shop, he heard a soft crack and felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. «Lightning!» — flashed through his mind as the second Personal Defense came off. The lightning itself didn't hurt him, but the jolt, coupled with the speed he had already gained and the rope stretched over the threshold, did their job, knocking him to the floor. He had just time to hit back with the windblade, realizing that there was something sharp on the floor, which caused another Personal Defense to fly off, when a knife stuck in his back and a clay bottle of acid broke on his head. The blade of the knife entered the body again and again, and the hand lying on the neck continuously struck lightning, not allowing anything to do. The mage was almost fainting,and his muscles were cramped. The next time, the blade broke, and the shard on the handle went straight into the back of the head. However, lightning struck him and hammered on the head with the handle just as much as the remaining mana allowed.</p><p>"My name is Tiglath, you bastard…"</p>
<hr/><p>"Kulma, Kulma... ha... ha..." I took a breath. "The owner ordered..." at this moment the guard froze, unable to move, and I, without interrupting my speech, plunged the knife into his face. The second guard, standing nearby, tried to break free of the telekinetic grip, but failed. He also got my share of bronze.</p><p>Fumes of spilled poisons were already spreading inside the house. Just like in the yard. It was worth putting pre-soaked rags on your face and breathing through them. Oil was spilled in some rooms, in the corridors, at the doors, and in some places on the street: under the hot sun of the Empire, the grass dries quickly. Most of the slaves had already been killed. I didn't want to kill anyone. Someone in general was sorry. I was disgusted, scared, had thoughts just run away... but then immediately there will be a chase, and so-they will still understand…</p><p>A simple, crooked charcoal Pentagon with a star inscribed in it was already on the kitchen floor. Blood, put the words…</p><p>"Mage ... why did you summon me?" the demon looked disdainfully at the circle under his feet and tried to step over it. Then he hit an invisible wall. The contempt faded from his eyes. "Well?"</p><p>"Don't "well". I need to get out of this place. Quickly. We are in a city, and there are corpses all around, as you must feel. What you do, you get, that's my payment."</p><p>"Get out ... haha… And how do you imagine that?" the demon chuckled, looking at the mage with interest.</p><p>"One of the corpses you'll revive. There's a big guy here. You'll conjure it to carry me away. Run fast and don't fall, turn where I tell you. It won't be difficult for you to do that, will it?"</p><p>"Um... okay, deal" The payment was indeed generous for such a small matter.</p><p>"Uh no… Swear. I may not be strong, but I can feel your lies and see the absence of your oath." the demon was silent. "If you don't swear now, you'll go back to your own fucking world!" I snapped, and threw the broken bottle into the circle. Whitish smoke billowed out of it…</p><p>"I swear! Okay!" the demon immediately jumped back.</p><p>
  <strong>Experience +11</strong>
</p><p>That was enough, of course, because there was no other way I could have determined that the contract was concluded. The foot quickly erased one of the lines.</p><p>"Where is the body you mentioned?"</p><p>Silently leading the demon to one of the guards, I watched as the misshapen and misshapen thing separated the vile, toothy worm from itself and placed it on the corpse's face. The creature began to chew its way through the eye. The sight almost made the I vomit. A few minutes later, the corpse was on its feet.</p><p>"He will obey you, runs fast, "dies" - the demon chuckled "in a couple of days."</p><p>"Well. You have ten minutes, then I'll set the house on fire."</p><p>"We didn't agree on this!"</p><p>"So what? Calm the fuck down. There are only two bodies in the house. The others are in the Annex, where I didn't pour the oil: it will take him a long time to get involved. You'll have time for everything!"</p><p>Growling something unintelligible, the creature ran to find new bodies. I sighed.</p><p>"Follow me" I said to the corpse. After waiting the promised ten minutes, I put his hand on the oiled floor and started a spark. My fingers were on fire, and the heat wave began to spread. I quickly climbed onto the corpse shoulders and ordered him to move out.</p><p>It was possible to overcome the city wall with the help of flight, fortunately, me still had mana. Then we ran. Closing his eyes, I began to meditate, wearily waving away the new message.</p><p><strong>Task completed: </strong> <strong>The Secret of the two Masters</strong></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Magic System and not only</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Magic System and not only that is used in this fic (Will be updated from time to time)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <strong>General</strong>
</h3><p>Metaverse-the general name of the entire set of worlds. It is twelve-dimensional and consists of three main components-matter, energy, and ether. An ordinary single world in the Metaverse is a complex hypersphere with four dimensions (length, width, height, Hyper Dimension). The other eight dimensions provide a multiplicity of worlds. And the destinations you can travel to are two to the eighth power, which is two hundred and fifty-six. Each subsequent coordinate axis doubles the number of quadrants, and the worlds are located in these quadrants. But the actual number of worlds in the neighborhood is three times less, because two-thirds of the axes end in dead ends — destroyed planets or, conversely, not yet created. That is, theoretically, you can go there only if you find yourself in space.</p><p>However, each world is still adjacent to several dozen-and no one prevents you from taking more than one step. Usually you don't need more than three: if you step twice, you can get to any of the two thousand worlds of the second range, and after three steps — to one of the hundred thousand of the third.</p><p>In the space between the worlds, beyond the borders of the Metaverse, there is a formless uncreated Chaos. The layer between worlds and Chaos is called Limbo.</p><p>The Metaverse, as well as Chaos, is constantly and continuously expanding in all directions. And new four-dimensional universes are constantly emerging, which also immediately begin to expand.</p><p>
  <strong>Three Laws Of Creator</strong>
</p><p>Three immutable laws that apply to all the worlds of the Metaverse. Different physical laws may apply in different worlds, but the Three Laws Of The Creator are always true.</p><ol>
<li>Nothing that really exists can arise out of nowhere or disappear into nowhere, but only pass from one state to another.</li>
<li>Time moves in one and only one direction, and what has already happened, becoming the past, cannot be changed even in the smallest degree. (However, you can make the present identical to the past-for example, using time magic. And you can find a world that will be a copy of your world, but only n years ago.)</li>
<li>The soul is an absolute principle, not subject to final destruction, but only to changes in the outer shells and regular reincarnations.</li>
</ol><p>It is worth noting that, in addition to the laws themselves, there are also consequences from them. They can be either obvious (for example, the impossibility of the existence of a perpetual motion machine or a time machine), or very remote.</p><h3>
  <strong>Ether</strong>
</h3><p>As already mentioned, in addition to the material and energy, the universe has a third component — the spiritual. Otherwise known as ether.</p><p>Ether is a disembodied, all-pervading substance that permeates all things. Once scientists of our world assumed its existence, but have not been able to confirm it. Therefore, this theory was eventually rejected. However, the ether is quite real — just the current earth science is powerless to detect it. This requires a radically different approach, and it is not yet available to scientists. Physical laws related to the etheric part of the universe are called metaphysics.</p><p>One of the consequences of the First Law Of The Creator is that the ether cannot be transformed into matter/energy, nor Vice versa. But it can temporarily become pseudo-matter/pseudo-energy (which is what happens in the process of magic), and matter can go into the etheric state. For example, you can travel to the afterlife, but even if you find yourself there in the flesh, you will lose your materiality in any case, so it is better to take care of safety in advance.</p><p>Ether is multi-faceted. In its natural state, it is simply an "astral vacuum". But in the infinite ocean of ether there are currents, waves, winds, clumps. The smallest fraction of free ether-a kind of equivalent of an elementary particle of the material world-is called a "drop". These "spiritual electrons" can also be in different States. And each of these States can be divided into different types, just as metals, gases, organic substances and other States of matter are divided into hundreds and thousands of varieties.</p><ul>
<li>
<strong>Mana.</strong> The so-called "hot" ether, its accelerated drops flowing in the boundless ocean of ordinary ether, "cold". In normal form, mana is inert and inactive, but it has a huge potential. It is the use of mana that magic is based on. For different spells, a certain type of mana is best suited; but a mage can basically convert any mana to the one they need. "Uncharacteristic" mana in the process of witchcraft is transformed, but the percentage of losses is very high and the effectiveness is also significantly reduced.</li>
<li>
<strong>Astral body.</strong> Stable compacted ether that has taken some form. This category, for example, includes souls, although they have a very complex structure. There are, as already mentioned, many worlds consisting exclusively of stable ether. Astral worlds inhabited by spirits.</li>
<li>
<strong>Prana.</strong> "Soft" ether that carries a constant uniform charge. This is life energy. If someone gives the impression of a living being, but at the same time is deprived of prana, then we are facing the undead.</li>
<li>
<strong>Ba-hion.</strong> Ether of the highest purity, passed through the Atman, and coming from a high-level astral body. Divine energy that is released during any spiritual action. If the action is addressed to God-prayer, sacrifice, worship, even just an appeal — Ba-hion goes to this God. The more often and fervently Ba-hion is allocated, the more valuable such a "battery" is for God.<br/>But with real magic, the Ba-hion stands out much more intensely. It inevitably accompanies any spell, even the simplest: mana enters the soul, serves as energy for the created spells, and the spent remnants expire in the form of Ba-hion. That is why the"battery" -mage is very valuable for demons — they can be used much longer than other mortals.<br/>In addition, Ba-hion has a very high level of reality, and even the gods can't control it.</li>
<li>
<strong>First Element. </strong>Heavy duty uni-directional flow of ether. Light and Darkness. The key difference between them is in the direction of the flow. From yourself and to yourself. Radiation and absorption. Altruism and selfishness. Light gives, Darkness takes away. The light is creation, Darkness, destruction. Light sanctifies and blesses everything it touches, while Darkness defiles and devours. Combining these two First Element... let's just say it's almost impossible, and trying to do it leads to an explosion. Therefore, it is impossible for magicians to control both Light and Darkness, so it is impossible to be a demon and a celestial at the same time.</li>
</ul><h3>
  <strong>Soul</strong>
</h3><p>Earth science has not yet confirmed or disproved the existence of the soul. You can't measure it with a ruler or weigh it on a scale. The soul and everything connected with it is the prerogative of magic, not science. But even among mages, not everyone knows at least approximately what it is and how it works. For the soul is something that is very difficult to study.</p><p>The soul is divided into several Beginnings or Cover. Four to nine, depending on the creature.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The First Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p><strong>The First Cover Of Soul (Sah)</strong> — his material body, the visible part of a human being. It is only a small part of what a person really is.</p><p>The main purpose of the Sah shell is to come into contact and interact with the material, corporeal world and act in it.</p><p>By the state and appearance of the body, you can judge the state of other human Covers. The pure Sah of a healthy person is a consequence of their spiritual purity. Vices and ailments of the Sah were considered to be the result of impurity of the energy Covers.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Second and Third Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p><strong>The Second Cover Of Soul (Ka or Anahton) — </strong>it represents his life energy, the etheric body, the energy double of a person, the soul-double. From modern concepts, the term "biofield" corresponds to this most of all. Ka is, on the one hand, the totality of mental sensations of a living person, and on the other — Ka is inextricably linked with the personality, personality of the deceased, his bodily and spiritual features.</p><p><strong>The Second Beginning Of Soul — </strong>Life Energy, Prana, Jiva, Neferu-Siini or Kouha-Gafu. The terminology doesn't matter. Prana permeates every cell of the physical body, allowing the creature to live, breathe, move, feed, reproduce. The complete loss or disintegration of prana means the death of the physical body. If a creature has some semblance of a soul and a physical body, but is devoid of the Second Beginning, then we are faced with the undead.</p><p><strong>The Third Beginning Of Soul —</strong> the Astral Body, or Skias Onap. It is visible to some extent — it is what mages scan when they look at the aura. The Third Beginning provides us with life after death, it is it that produces <strong>ba-hion</strong> and allows us to travel in the subtle spheres. The astral body copies the physical body — which is why spirits and ghosts usually look the same as they did when they were alive. Need to radically change the very perception of yourself in order for the astral appearance to undergo a change. Not only people have their own Skias Onap, but also animals, plants, and even inanimate creatures — very primitive, but still there. This is why may be Ghost ships, Ghost houses, Ghost weapons, Ghost clothing… in fact, almost every material body casts such an "astral shadow".</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Fourth Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p><strong>The Fourth Cover Of Soul (Ah or Atman) — </strong>spirit, part of the universal energy base of the universe. In Egyptian, Ah literally means "bright, enlightened, illuminated, blissful". The Central core to which all other covers are "attached". It contains basic information about the structure of the soul. It is impossible to change or destroy the Fourth Beginning — its reality is one hundred percent. It is this cover of the soul that is responsible for the continuity of the chain of rebirth — when the soul goes to reincarnation, only this core remains... although sometimes it is caught by shreds of other Covers. The naked Atman, devoid of other superstructures, is absolutely impossible to hold, it is impossible to influence it in any way.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p><strong>Nous Kai Logos — </strong>is the conscious part of the soul, that which forms the personality. It includes the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Covers.</p><p><strong>The Fifth Beginning Of Soul — </strong>sensual spirit, or Oumos. This is a personality. Character. Emotions. Feelings. It is this Shell that is usually understood as the soul in fairy tales — a creature devoid of the Fifth Beginning becomes like a soulless machine.</p><p><strong>The Sixth Beginning Of Soul — </strong>the thinking spirit, or Phrenes. This is the mind. Memory. This Shell is concentrated in the brain cells — the rest of the body is of little interest to it. It is thanks to the Sixth Beginning that the spirit retains the ability to think and remember after death, despite the loss of the brain.</p><p><strong>The Seventh Beginning Of Soul — </strong>Active Spirit, or Nous. These are spiritual lines and nodes, nadis and chakras, through which mana flows. It is this Cover that allows you to cast spells. In ordinary people, the Seventh Beginning is in a "dormant" state, and only in the body of a properly trained magician it blooms in all its glory. Of course, even for non-magеs, the Nous is present and functioning — it produces <strong>ba-hion</strong>, and such things as prayer and meditation depend on it. Even dreams are one of the manifestations of Nous.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Eighth Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p>The so-called immortal spirit. This Cover gives its owner an unlimited long life and a number of other advantages. People don't have it. The possessors of the Eighth Beginnings include such beings as Demons, Celestials, Jinns, and Titans. As a rule, these are beings whose civilizations have gone all the way to development to immense heights and eventually achieved full-fledged immortality, inherited, for each of their representatives. Some, however, receive the Eighth Cover personally for themselves — for example, gaining the title of High Mage.</p><p>In the case of the Celestials and Demons, the Eighth Cover is based on the First Element — the former has Light, and the latter, respectively, has Darkness. For neutrals, this Beginning is based on other forms of ether — a variety of options are possible here. And just as diverse are the options for the advantages that this Beginning gives to its owners. It can be Demonic power, Titanic power, just an endless flow of mana, huge magical abilities of Jinn, or something quite exotic.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Ninth Beginnings Of Soul</strong>
</p><p>The Ninth Beginnings — is the divine spirit. This Cover is only present in the gods and is generated through a kind of "opening" or "flowering" of the Atman. It is based on First Element and determines the polarity of the deity belonging to the Light or the Dark gods. Figuratively speaking, they differ in "spin" - the direction of rotation, just as Light and Darkness differ in it. The Ninth Beginnings provides an amazing opportunity to influence reality. The stabilizer of this "etheric vortex" is the <strong>ba-hion</strong> supplied by the believers.</p><p> </p><p>By the number of components of the soul, you can assess the development of its owner. In humans, the soul consists of seven parts. Demons and celestials out of eight. The gods of the nine. The first four Beginnings are a minimal set, even in plants and bacteria. Animals usually have a Fifth, and the most highly developed ones even have a Sixth, but they have much simpler Covers than humans and other intelligent people. The more developed a living being is, the more complex its soul is ... however, in this thesis, cause and effect are mixed up.</p><h3>
  <strong>Reality and its control</strong>
</h3><p>Reality is the main parameter of being. Almost everything that exists is only partially real. By a certain number of percentages. An entity that is far superior to another entity in reality can directly affect it; the higher the reality of the object, the more difficult it is to influence it. This is the general pattern.</p><p>For example, an ordinary ghost can't even move anything material. But in Limbo and the Dream World, he can basically do whatever he wants. A living person can influence a ghost relatively simply-with the help of magic or spiritual power. </p><p>Summoning and exorcising spirits is very easy. Creating doppel magic and pseudo-material is also easy. Affect material objects more complicated animal — even harder on the person — very difficult... but if you just want to kill, you can just poke a sharp piece of metal, it always works. But for demons and other creatures with a higher reality than ours, special spells and special weapons are already required. Summon and exorcise them is also more difficult than spirits.</p><p>Well, you can kill a deity, in General, only with something equally real. For example, the fact that it itself was once part of the deity and therefore is also superreal... at least in part.</p><p>
  <strong>General list of reality levels</strong>
</p><ul>
<li>Imaginary things are the least real — they count by tenths or even hundredths of a percent.</li>
<li>From 1 % to 3 % - potential reality, uncreated. What is also called Chaos.</li>
<li>From 4 % to 5 % - pure ether.</li>
<li>From 7 % to 9 % — highly organized ether suche as mana.</li>
<li>From 10 % to 20 % - dense astral bodies suche as ghosts.</li>
<li>From 20% to 25 % — pseudo-matter and doppels. They are unstable and easily disappear.</li>
<li>From 25 % to 34 % — alchemical substances, not quite complete, since they do not have an astral body.</li>
<li>From 35 %, real full-fledged reality begins — this is how much inanimate material objects that have an astral shadow have.</li>
<li>From 45 % and higher-animate creatures. The most real ones can reach sixty or even sixty-five. About the same number of people — about sixty.</li>
<li>From 70% and higher — Demons, Jinn and other Immortals, owners of the Eighth Beginnings.</li>
<li>From 85% and higher — Archdemons and similar entities.</li>
<li>At 90%, superreality begins. It is only possessed by gods, chthonic monsters, and some other extremely rare entities. (Titaniums)</li>
<li>99 % — Darkness and Light, First Elements, higher forms of ether.</li>
<li>100 % - only the Atman has this reality. The Fourth Cover of the soul, the core. Absolutely real, eternal and absolutely indestructible beginning. The only thing that no one can do anything to harm in principle. This Is the Third Law Of The Creator.</li>
</ul><p>It should be understood that the level of reality is a complex thing. It constantly fluctuates and may differ greatly at different points of the object. And you can only measure approximately with the help of a special analysis. The level of reality depends on the collective unconscious, on the number of people who know about your existence, and on all sorts of factors. Of course, the difference here between the minimum and maximum is only a few percent, but it is still very much.</p><h3>
  <strong>Immortals, gods, and other serious uncles</strong>
</h3><p>We must understand that all these serious uncles can not do what they want, but, as a rule, observe all sorts of agreements. Because parity, and violation of it on a large scale will lead to... in short, it will be bad for everyone. Battles of gods and similar entities often end in the destruction of civilizations and planets themselves. And the destroyed planets, in General, are not needed by either of them. And don't forget the Chaos raging outside, from which the ordered Metaverse is separated only by a thin Edge. If it breaks through... well, semi-chaotic worlds are not good either.</p><p>That's why gods, demons, and other Immortals... even mortals can't do whatever they want. If someone like that sneaks into an alien world and starts messing around on a large scale, the gods may well... remove it.</p><p>But mortals and ordinary Immortals are, in general, nonsense, a matter of everyday life. But demons and gods…</p><p>The gods observe three rules. First, they honor free will. Every mortal makes his own choices about how to live, what to do, and who to worship. The gods can point, suggest, even order (although this is rare), but directly taking control of mortals and controlling them like puppets, correcting memory or personality is considered extremely bad form. Only the Dark ones do this, and then surreptitiously, in no case openly. Second, no cancellation fees. If God has done something, neither he nor any other God can undo it. You can somehow correct, Supplement, clarify, compensate for something, but not cancel it. Even if you really want to. For only erroneous decisions are canceled, and God cannot make mistakes. Third, God's word is inviolable. If God has sworn something, if he has promised something, he will not break the oath under any circumstances. Even if the oath is taken by force, even if it is obtained by deception, even if he just accidentally misspoke — everything will be fulfilled letter by letter. For God is the Word, and the Word is God.</p><ul>
<li>The author of the edit suspects that this is just an agreement. However, these are the gods.</li>
</ul><p>There are also secondary rules, but they just follow logically from the main ones.</p><p>Demons, of course, also follow these rules (well, not exactly like that. Similar, but formulated differently and... the essence is different). Formally. By all means trying to avoid them. And if the mortals themselves called the demons, letting them into their world — they are in their right, because free will. The gods will not lay a finger on them, for if they break the rules, they will lose much more. Legality. Imagine that someone stole something. The neighbors will find out about it. And the very next day they all come to the thief's house — and everyone takes any of his things that they want. Or even kills the owner. With impunity. This is exactly what happens with the gods — if you don't follow the rules in relation to others, others stop following them in relation to you. And there are many more of them than you.</p><p>There are, of course, outsiders. Some Dark gods are the same as Cthulhu. He was charged a lot of times for lawlessness and went to the showdown. There are also chthonic monsters that are profoundly alien to order. That's why they are usually immured somewhere, because they are practically incapable of peaceful coexistence.</p><h3>
  <strong>The Afterlife and Reincarnation</strong>
</h3><p>Death — is a "breakdown" of the physical body. Sooner or later, this happens to everyone... well, probably. You can't be sure about some entities. And the posthumous existence begins. It can vary quite a lot — in fact, everyone has their own afterlife. Some do not even have it — the souls of demons, for example, contain a lot of Darkness, and therefore usually quickly disintegrate. And they end up on A Bloody Beach — that's what they call the holes in the Edge through which the astral "precipitation" flows; this is a kind of border between Chaos and the Ordered.</p><p>Spirits often enter the world of the dead — the Afterlife, the astral plane of the universe. It is bigger than our material plane, and there is a lot of things there. For example, different "countries" for ghosts — Kur, Duat, Hades, Hel, Nav, and the like.</p><p>Yes, unlike the same Limbo, the ether here is very dense. All places are located at specific points, there is no geography. If you want, you can even make a map — although very conditional and very strange shape. This most dense ether can also be changed by the power of thought, but here the spiritual power of an individual is no longer enough. You need whole masses of people — if they believe the same thing, the world will change accordingly. That is why the afterlife as a whole (but with certain amendments, of course) looks exactly as people imagined it during life. The sun, for example, is really black here and goes in the opposite direction.</p><p>Although in order to change yourself, it is enough for you alone. In the astral, you are what you think you are. How you feel. This applies to appearance, size, abilities, and coordinates in space. That is why you can easily shorten the distance here (which is used, for example, by shadow-mages).</p><p>The spirit can also be taken to the Light/Dark world — this depends on its faith and on the structure of the afterlife system in this particular world. In the Light worlds — an eternal high and with luck you can become a celestials; in the Dark, respectively, on the contrary — everything is very bad, but if you are lucky, you can break out into demons. If a person didn't believe in anything in particular or was an atheist at all... well, no one can claim them and they shouldn't organize anything. He can vegetate in the afterlife or even end up in Limbo, where it's not even good or bad, but just nothing.</p><p>This kind of posthumous life lasts a long time — much longer than earth life. Thousands and tens of thousands of years. But all existence requires energy, and they get it. A variety of ways.</p><p>Ordinary spirits, for example, do not even need external fuel. They are immaterial, and they have enough spiritual power to exist. Light spirits — celestials — have a very powerful spiritual power, and can also receive grace from their deity. Impure spirits devour other spirits or engage in energy vampirism. Fittery feed on natural Ba-hion. It can't last forever, of course, but that's why reincarnation exists. It comes when internal resources finally run out.</p><p>And if you manage to kill the Ghost a second time, then it will go, respectively, to premature reincarnation. Well, or to the Bloody Beach.</p><ul>
<li>Reincarnation. Finally depleted of the soul, in fact, bare Atmans are in the bhavachakra, the Wheel of Births. There they pass through Chaos, "reset", are filled with a fantastic supply of energy and return to the Ordered, in order to be born again; but the return is already on the other side of the bhavachakra. In the invisible part of it, which is located on the material plane. And if the Ghost flies into bhavachakra of its own free will, it will go to an early rebirth.<br/>The purer the soul, the closer to the center of bhavachakra it will get, and the more successful the rebirth will be. The outermost, black ring of the Wheel of Birth is The Bloody Beach. But in general, reincarnation is not random or predetermined. it Matters who you were in your past life and where you lived. Most likely, you will go to the same world; most likely, you will be a creature of the same species; most likely, the same sex... but not the fact. Not a fact at all.<br/>And yes, after reincarnation, a completely different personality is obtained, since only the Atman with the information encoded in it remains from the soul... although sometimes shreds of other Cover are caught on it. One way or another, you can find out who you were in a previous life... but that's another story.</li>
</ul><h3>Civilizations</h3><p>Engakhi, traveling through the worlds, distinguish different types and stages of development of civilizations that they encounter there. There are three main types (paths of development); there are seventeen stages of development in each type. Having passed the seventeenth stage, civilization moves to a qualitatively new level — its inhabitants become immortal, massively gaining the Eighth Beginning. Usually neutral Immortals are obtained, but if the path was appropriate, demons or celestials can also be obtained. The inhabitants of heaven are people who have achieved mass enlightenment — some super-spiritual civilization that has gained full dzen. And, for example, the ancestors of the archdemon-vampire Akhkharu were a highly developed people who turned many other species into their"feeding". They learned to receive energy directly from other people's souls and thus gained immortality, but at the same time they became demons.</p><p>There are no more immortal scales for evaluating civilizations. This is if, by the way, there is still a civilization there at all — there are often cases when, having reached the top, it degrades or simply ceases to exist as a civilization itself. A natural historical process — they no longer need to strive for anything, achieve anything, they are already born immortal and with a lot of abilities. A civilization that has reached full comfort either finds some new purpose, or rests on its laurels and gradually decays. Sometimes even immortality itself is lost — for example, elves and giants once, in the deepest antiquity, were immortal.</p><p>It should be emphasized that we are talking here about civilizations, and not about, say, planets or worlds. Because it is about our Land that we can say that there is one civilization on it, but on some Parifat or, especially, Eikre, the situation is still different. So, classification. Civilizations are divided into:</p><p>1. <strong>Technogenic.</strong> Civilizations that develop through technological progress. What is clear and close to us — we live in such a situation ourselves.</p><ol>
<li>A civilization gets the status of technogenic after the invention and widespread introduction of a certain set of technical means. In different worlds, different options are possible, but most often we see things like compass, gunpowder and printing. The first makes it easier to travel and allows you to explore your world more widely, the second radically changes the military picture, and the third opens up access to information to the general public. When these three inventions or their analogs are achieved, we can call civilization Technogenic.</li>
<li>The second stage of civilization begins after the so-called industrial revolution-the transition to factory and factory industry to replace the previous crafts and manufactures.</li>
<li>The third stage is the flourishing of metallurgy and the widespread introduction of the steam engine or its equivalent.</li>
<li>The fourth is mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and basic chemical industry.</li>
<li>The fifth is the high-level chemical industry, internal combustion engines, and the widespread introduction of the conveyor.</li>
<li>The sixth is the electronics and computing industry, robotics, and the rise of telecommunications.</li>
<li>The seventh — basic nanotechnology, higher organic chemistry, active use of cyberspace.</li>
<li>The eighth — high-level nanotechnology, extensive use of space transport, basic terraforming.</li>
<li>The ninth — high-level terraforming, cities on other planets, the first interstellar flights.</li>
<li>The tenth — the transition to the galactic level, contacts with other civilizations.</li>
</ol><ul>
<li>The first ten stages are a basic set. Since the tenth level begins an active exchange of technologies with alien or otherworldly civilizations, the further path of development is noticeably more complicated and confusing.</li>
</ul><p>2. <strong>Magical.</strong> Civilizations that develop through the penetration of magic into the lives of ordinary people, its distribution among the population.</p><ol>
<li>The first stage is the emergence of an organization that unites magicians (The Sumerian Guild).</li>
<li>The second stage — the emergence of magic schools, universities, vocational training (Gymnasium Gray Earth).</li>
<li>The third stage is the emergence of magical services, institutions that can take advantage of any (magic shops, factories, public portals on Parifat).</li>
<li>The fourth stage — the trade name of magic, when the entire manufactory, where the mages work together.</li>
</ol><ul>
<li>The rest is still unknown, but we can make some assumptions, given that civilizations of the same stage, although of different types, are approximately ... similar to each other. So, at the tenth stage, we must understand that magical civilizations also come out of the" cradle", overcoming the boundaries outlined by nature — only not by conquering the cosmos, but by moving into parallel worlds. It is at this stage that the world of the magical civilization becomes open, and there you can just as easily go to another world as we can go to another city.<br/>If we compare the development of Technogenic and Magical civilizations, then the first, relatively speaking, should grow in "quality", and the second — in "quantity". Technogenic make more and more complex discoveries and inventions-and so on until they reach the seventeenth level. Magicians do not need this — in principle, a single mage can invent incredibly complex spells and swing to such a level that he will become immortal in one face, but his civilization will not be cold or hot from this. The average mage is by nature an individualist who does not seek the company of his own kind. And the task facing mages is to somehow pull up to this level the entire society (not in the sense that everyone will be a High Mage, but everyone, one way or another, must become immortal). Therefore, in such societies, magic is increasingly embedded in life, in the very flesh and blood, rare non-mages are considered something like disabled people — and so on to the critical point.</li>
</ul><p>3. <strong>Biotic.</strong> Civilizations that develop by merging with nature and managing it. These are harmony with nature, symbiosis, selection, eugenics, directed evolution and collective mind.<br/>    </p><p>    The beginnings of a biotic civilization are the domestication of animals and the cultivation of plants. Horse riding and dog hunting are a primitive symbiosis. The next steps are the domestication of        other animals. Bigger and more diverse. Domestication, training, widespread introduction to society. Large and strong working animals. Post birds. Fighting bears and tigers. Graze herds of                    manatees and dugongs in rivers, swim on dolphins, killer whales and whales. Directed selection, breeding of new, more effective breeds.</p><p>    Then there are different options. You can follow the path of symbiosis, make the connection with other species closer and closer. Ride without a saddle or reins, control the dog without commands.        Feel each other's moods and even thoughts. Perceive the other as an extension of yourself. Development should be mutual — not only to change the animal to suit your needs, but also to change            yourself to better fit. And so on until the merging of minds and universal symbiosis. You can go along the path of breeding and improving life forms, bringing out more and more practical and                effective species, creating live weapons, live devices, live transport. You can change yourself — eugenics, directed evolution.</p><p>   Purely biotic civilizations tend to deepen rather than expand. The planet of highly developed biotics is a colossal anthill, completely pitted with tunnels, teeming with life and making the most of             every cubic centimeter. Pure biotics are also engaged in external expansion, of course, but less often than technogenics or magicians.</p><p>4. <strong>Primitive.</strong> Actually, everything is clear from the name-civilizations that have not yet embarked on any path of development.</p><p>5. <strong>Mixed.</strong> Civilization, in equal measure, combining the two (and three is theoretically possible, but very unlikely) way of development. Technomagic, biotechnical, biomagic. There are much rarer               "unmixed" civilizations.</p><p>6. <strong>Exotic.</strong> Civilizations that cannot be clearly assigned to one of the three main types. There are also enough of them.</p><ul>
<li>
<em>Note 1. </em>Development does not always go to the very end — many civilizations stop at one of the previous stages. There is no specific reason for this-it just happens this.</li>
<li>
<em>Note 2. </em>The presence or absence of certain technologies may not depend on the level of civilization. The life span of the plonetians is one hundred years longer than that of the Svarog Empire, although the latter is five stages higher. In the same way, making some individual breakthrough inventions in itself does not mean anything, like a magic shop in Geremiad («The best weapon») it did not mean reaching the third stage in magical development. What matters here is whether it plays a role in everyday life. Whether it is an integral part of society, whether society will notice if this phenomenon suddenly disappears.</li>
<li>
<em>Note 3. </em>Not every civilization can accurately determine the stage of development. Various types of colonial empires are classified with great difficulty. Usually one estimate is given for the metropolis, and others for each colony. And the assessment of colonies is greatly complicated by the fact that they do not develop themselves-that is, for example, on some planet there may easily be primitive tribes with blasters.</li>
<li>
<em>Note 4. </em>There is also a so-called negative level. This is how civilizations that have experienced a major catastrophe are designated. They still retain some of the technologies of earlier times, but not the means of reproducing them. For example, Plonet after doomsday is a Technogenic civilization of a negative level.</li>
</ul>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>